The usefulness and, therefore, the popularity of many electronic devices, including portable electronic devices (such as cellular telephones), is often gated by ease of use. In particular, the ease of use of many electronic devices is typically determined by the user interface. The user interface is the gateway through which users' actions and/or behaviors are defined and received, including user attempts to access the features of an electronic device. Consequently, the user interface is integral to an overall user experience.
However, there are limitations associated with existing user interfaces, especially the user interfaces for small, handheld electronic devices. For example, many existing user interfaces are constrained by the need for the user to activate or turn on an electronic device. Then, the user may need to make physical contact with the user interface, such as is the case with user interfaces displayed on touch-sensitive displays. Therefore, many existing user interfaces produce frustrating user interactions, which can degrade the user experience.